


a chance

by onthighsbelongtotaemin



Category: SHINee
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-11
Updated: 2016-12-11
Packaged: 2018-09-07 23:01:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8819560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onthighsbelongtotaemin/pseuds/onthighsbelongtotaemin
Summary: Minho meets his soul mate on a street corner on a crisp December night.





	

Minho sleeps too much.  And he’s still not seen color.  He watched his best friend meet their soul mate when they were children, 8-year-old Jinki & 5-year-old Taemin lighting up in unison & giggling at the sudden burst of color their eyes could perceive.  They were so young; it was nearly ten years before they truly understood what it meant. They sleep well, they sleep together.  But Minho sleeps too much & he lives in shades of gray & it’s been nearly twenty years since Jinki found Taemin, & ten since Gwiboon found Eunsook. He’s happy for his friends & sad for himself & he wonders when fate will give him a chance.

It’s on a blistery winter day that he passes a stranger on the street, his hands in his pockets, not watching where he’s going, bumping shoulders followed by a murmured apology from beneath similarly bunched up scarves. It takes him a moment to realize that anything has changed, the naturally gray skies & fields of white not any different than before.  But there is a Christmas tree in a store display that is a hue that is neither black nor white nor gray & he doesn’t have a word for it.  He stops & stares; it’s absolutely dazzling with lights in colors he has no name for & sparkly ropes of tinsel that he’s disappointed to identify as silver.  Still, the sight is mesmerizing & he’s still staring when there’s a pat on his arm.

“Hey?”  It’s a shorter man, much shorter, nearly half a foot & Minho feels awkward looking down at him.  He glances between Minho & the Christmas tree & back, an uncertain smile on his face.

“Do you see it too?”  Minho knows exactly what he means & also what he means.  Because yes he sees the colors, but yes he _sees it too_.  They both see them, together, just now.

“Yeah,” he breathes, taking in the other man’s features.  He’s odd-looking in a handsome way.  If Minho were pressed to describe him he’s not sure he’d know how.  Large dark eyes with mismatched lids that were charming, a strong nose, & a smile that took up his whole mouth.  He looked so happy, Minho thought, & he’s sure his expression is a mirror image.

“Maybe this means I’ll finally be able to sleep.”  Minho nods without really listening, watching the lights twinkle in the window in awe.  The words finally register & he turns to the other with a puzzled expression.

“Sleep?”

“Yeah, you know.  Meet your soulmate, see color & sleep well.  I’ve had insomnia for as long as I can remember.  You?”

“Hypersomnia…”, Minho says slowly, “I’ve always slept too much. No matter what, always at least twelve hours.”

“Twelve hours?!”  The stranger has a look that is mix between incredulity & envy.  “That sounds wonderful.”

“Not really,” Minho replies, turning back to the tree.  “There’s not much you can do in such a short span of time.”

The other nods at that & they stand side by side staring at a Christmas tree.

“I’m Jonghyun, by the way.”  

“Minho.”

~

They wander through the city as much as the weather will allow them, pointing out familiar locals that are now bathed in hues they’d never even dreamed existed.  Minho wears out quickly, his need for sleep overriding his joy at finally seeing color, at finally meeting his soulmate.  They know nothing of each other save their names & Jonghyun hastily takes Minho’s number before pulling him into a cab & getting him safely home.  Minho wakes to the gentle nudge of Jonghyun’s hand to his shoulder & the soft murmur of his name.  He’s taken inside & led to his bed & from then until now he remembers nothing.

Except his dreams, which are now imbued with color.

~

They have nothing in common except the delight of new senses & there’s an underlying tension between them that Minho wasn’t able to put his finger on at first.  Now, as Jonghyun presses him up against a wall & steps up on his toes to kiss his neck he suspects it was sexual.

They move fast.  Barely a week goes by from their meeting on a wintry sidewalk to Minho bent in half in his own bed while Jonghyun moves inside him.  It’s been awhile for both & it’s not as satisfying as it could have been, but it’s unique in its own way & they hold each other through the night.

It’s strange, he thinks, as he wakes up in Jonghyun’s arms.  Their sleep is slowly falling into place, Jonghyun’s increasing while Minho’s decreases.  And there’s more, a sense of calm that neither of them can explain & a wordless communication that they develop almost overnight.

They’re not in love exactly, & maybe they never will be in an idealistic romantic love. But they love each other, that much is sure, & they are quickly becoming friends.  And when he rolls over & looks at Jonghyun’s sleeping face he’s glad that fate finally gave him a chance.


End file.
